SCRATCH MARKET With fine-dining offering Accolades on the ropes, a new offering emerges
Volume 24 – Issue 6
TRYING FOR 50 A new campaign is aiming for 50 per cent voter turnout in Kamloops
www.truomega.ca Ω @TRU_Omega
A GOOD START WolfPack women show promise in the pre-season with new coach at the helm
October 8, 2014
Land donation brings research opportunities PAGE 4
RED ARMY RECRUITS THE EX-WOLFPACK FIND A NEW PLACE TO PLAY – PAGE 7
BIG WRECK LIVE AT CJS
BY KIM ANDERSON
Canadian rock veterans Big Wreck, out of Toronto, Ont., proved to the audience at Cactus Jacks that some bands only get better with time. The consistent, pulsating, bass and rhythmic drum lines accented with chilling, intricate guitar solos driven home by powerful and soulful vocals held the crowd at CJs captive, mesmerized, hanging on every note. The charisma and cohesiveness between frontman Ian Thornley and bassist Dave McMillan was captivating, especially during their guitar vs. bass standoff.
In front of a dazzling, precise light display, they played songs from their new album “Ghosts,” and reached back into 2001 with hits like “Head in the Girl” and “Ladylike.” In their encore, they surprised everyone when guitarist Paulo Neta preformed the vocals for AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” They bid the cheering crowd adieu with “Oaf” from their new album. Big Wreck gave the audience at CJs a reason to celebrate on what would normally be a lazy Tuesday night in Kamloops by showcasing their legendary homegrown, talent from the great white north.
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NEWS
October 8, 2014
New campaign seeks to change attitudes toward voting Kamloops voter turnout goal set at 50 per cent, young people and students targeted Ashley Wadhwani ISSUES EDITOR Ω
In 2008, roughly 31 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 18-24 voted in municipal elections in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. In Kamloops specifically, 29 per cent of citizens voted in the 2011. Young people have been deemed notoriously disinterested in voting, but the reasons why are not exactly clear. Ramesh Ranjan, a contributor to the Huffington Post suggested that “non-voting activism,” as opposed to democratic action, may be the channel that young people are more interested in taking. He considered awareness movements that have gone viral through social media, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge or Mo-vember, as examples that young people actively participate in. He has a point – how many of us spent the time filling up buckets of ice and water, or decided to let our beards grow a little longer than usual in hopes of making a change in our world? Perhaps more than 31 per cent.
This is a challenge that TRU graduate and Vote 50 coordinator Will George is ready to take on through the Vote 50 Campaign. With the vision of incorporating “information, access and engagement,” into this year’s election on Nov. 15, 2014, the eighteen-member committee is hoping to increase Kamloops voter turnout to 50 per cent. According to the Vote 50 Campaign website, they “plan to provide easy-to-find information, create fun events to increase participation, and launch initiatives to make the 2014 vote the most accessible election Kamloops has ever seen.” When it comes to the low voter turnout in young people, George believes that 50 per cent is possible with the right kind of encouragement. As a non-partisan group, the committee is primarily focusing on accessible information for all candidates and their platforms. As Ranjan pointed out, although young people seem to be more interested in activism and are familiar with voicing their frustrations in the system through awareness and campaigns, there is a blatant disconnect with going to
a polling location and marking an “x” beside a candidate. The Vote 50 Campaign plans on encouraging young people to participate through mixers and forums, whether on the TRU campus, at the Seniors Center for Information or hotels located throughout Kamloops. “Make events that people want to go to because they’re fun and then they realize ‘Oh, the people that want to help voter turnout are organizing this event and I should be engaged,’” George said. A mixer will be held on the TRU campus where students will get to hear from all the candidates on the topics they are interested in hearing about. Themes will be determined by suggestions from students and then divided into rooms open to the public. “Look out for ballots where students can suggest the themes for the room, such as career options or environmental sustainability,” George said. TRU professor Derek Cook suggested that “a major part of the problem [with low voter turnout] is the simple lack of understanding of the Canadian political
system,” and public policy issues. George believes if Vote 50 gives accessibility to this information in a basic and understandable way, the lack of participation will change. Vote 50 is also grooming youth to be engaged in Canadian politics through the Boys and Girls club. Two events, “Voting 101” and the “Youth Civic Forum,” will bring candidates to discuss public policies that are familiar and important to youth. When George was asked what he would say to a student who doesn’t think municipal politics affects them, he said: “In 2011, the voter turnout in Kamloops was 29 per cent. That was 29 per cent of the eligible voters in Kamloops deciding the direction of Kamloops for the next three years. Now it’s changed and council terms are four years … Are you a renter? Look at this situation: The city decides to increase property taxes by 50 per cent. So the owner of the house needs to raise his rent to meet the property taxes. Who’s paying that rent? You, the student.” For George, it’s creating rel-
ative connections to students in order to share the importance of utilising our right to vote. Pointing to the election countdown on the Vote 50 website, he said that time is of the essence in convincing students to speak out. “When you have such a small percentage of people voting, the city can go either way. It’s usually a particular demographic that is voting,” he said. Council recently announced that public transit will be free on election day, giving even more access to the polling stations throughout Kamloops. Not sure if you can vote? Here are the basic requirements for voter eligibility in this year’s municipal election: You must be over the age of eighteen on the day of election, you must be a Canadian citizen, you must have lived in B.C. for 6 months prior to election day and you must have lived in Kamloops for the last 30 days. You should also make sure to have a piece of identification when you go to the polls. To find the closest polling location to you, visit the City of Kamloops website.
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EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sean Brady @iamseanbrady editor@truomega.ca NEWS EDITOR Alexis Stockford @AlexisStockford news@truomega.ca ISSUES EDITOR Ashley Wadhwani @ashwadhwani issues@truomega.ca ARTS EDITOR Kim Anderson @K_AndersonSays arts@truomega.ca SPORTS EDITOR Tayla Scott @taylascott3 sports@truomega.ca COPY EDITOR Rachel Wood @rachelwoood copy@truomega.ca CONTRIBUTORS Kasahra Atkins Steve Leahy
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OPINION & EDITORIAL
The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 6
Online spying Bill C-13 re-introduced
Isn’t it long past time for an Internet bill of rights? Sean Brady
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω
It was a decision made on June 13, nearly four months ago, that set an important precedent for online privacy in Canada. In the Supreme Court of Canada case R. v. Spencer, it was affirmed that Canadians have the right to online anonymity and that police cannot request subscriber data from service providers without a warrant. The decision was welcomed by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and lauded by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Three days after the ruling, service providers Telus and Rogers even announced that they would no longer hand over subscriber data without a warrant. Everyone seemed to hear the Supreme Court of Canada loud and clear. Everyone except for the government, it seems. Bill C-13, a controversial online spying bill that would grant those same service providers immunity when providing subscriber data, was up for a (very brief ) debate in the House of Commons on Oct. 1. It was voted on and passed and has moved on in its process towards becoming law.
Minister of Justice Peter MacKay, who presented and defended the bill, insisted that it did not infringe on the SCC’s decision in R. v. Spencer. There are few who agree, or at least, few who see the point in the bill going forward. Michael Geist, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, called this a “head in the sand” approach by the government. “While it is true that the voluntary warrantless disclosure provision does not directly contradict the Spencer decision, the reality is that it has been rendered largely moot. In other words, the government is touting a legislative solution to assist law enforcement that the police will not use and that telecom companies will ignore,” Geist wrote on his blog. In response to the bill, the digital rights group OpenMedia is running ads in Peter MacKay’s home riding in Nova Scotia, hoping to rile up his constituents on the matter. Even if the bill does become law, won’t its overturning at the inevitable SCC challenge just further reaffirm what we already know? Why are we wasting time? Perhaps this bill represents a prob-
lem with all attempts to wrangle the woes of technology. In a broad sense, isn’t this bill overly specific? Will its specifics apply to how we dispense services in the future? The Internet has been in most peoples’ hands for at least 20 years now, and clearly we are still novices when it comes to legislating its usage. There seems to be little we can do that does not overreach. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been instrumental in preventing the kind of “working backwards” technique we’re seeing with this bill and R. v. Spencer. Instead of using a single court case as precedent, why don’t we give ourselves the opportunity to work with something much more elaborate, like an Internet bill of rights? Something as foundational as an Internet (or more broadly, digital) bill of rights would allow us to decide on and enshrine what’s really important to us. If three quarters of Canadians are against further online spying, as a Forum Research poll reported by OpenMedia would suggest, what kind of support could there be for a much broader resolution? editor@truomega.ca
Canada’s involvement in targeting ISIS William Beall
THE CADRE (CUP)
While the Canadian government will vote on the future role the Canadian forces will play in the international effort against ISIS today, Canadians are still divided over the issue of further military involvement. According to Stephen Harper, over two dozen Canadian military members are serving in Iraq in an advisory, non-combative capacity. However, many members of the Canadian government and general public, including the Prime Minister, are supportive of Canadian jets targeting ISIS directly, as stated by CBC. This leaves us with a debate, with valid points on both sides. While both sides are appalled by the numerous human rights violations, atrocities, and war crimes committed by ISIS, some would claim that ISIS is just one of many mili-
tant organizations around the world committing terrible crimes, and there is no way for NATO to combat them all effectively. When one terrorist group is defeated, another which is even more violent appears to fill the gap. On the other hand, ISIS’s crimes including mass execution of prisoners, mass killings of ethnic minorities, rape, the murder of Western Journalists and citizens, which are both a provocation and crimes that demand intervention. Regardless of this information, several NATO members, and Gulf Arab States have participated in strikes against ISIS or reconnaissance missions, some of whom having lower quality militaries than Canada. One cannot deny that the Canadian military has a long history of peacekeeping (Somalia, Haiti, Cambodia, the Balkans region, and many more), and that many Canadians like to think that when our troops are
sent abroad in any capacity, they are not shock troops (although their allies often respectfully refer to them in such a way), but rather peacekeepers helping to maintain global order. So is it easy to argue that, when the whole world has condemned the actions of ISIS, and some of have already targeted ISIS in air strikes, that Canada, a country with a proud history of peacekeeping, should not directly attack what is quite arguably the greatest disruptor of peace and order in Iraq. Iraq is a country with many beautiful cultures, a great and ancient history, and is directly asking for help from the outside world to combat this domestic threat. While there is every right to ask questions about military intervention, and there are good reasons to disagree with it, I still firmly believe that Canada should join its NATO allies, and international partners in sending a message to terrorist groups around the world.
Letter to the Editor: “Do you see me now?” I am a mature student, and I’d like to ask the other students on campus, “Do you see me?” While walking the campus at Thompson Rivers University I am “invisibly” struck by the minority that I represent. Young people are the norm on the campus and most extracurricular activities are geared towards these young people. We currently live in a time when the question of what I want to be when I grow up isn’t restricted to teenagers. As such, I would like to invite these young people and TRU to “walk a mile in my shoes.” When I look around the campus at TRU, I feel a sense of pride in my university as I see the cultural diversity that is represented. At the same time that I feel pride, I am struck by the small group that
I represent as a mature student. My age and disability set me apart from my peers and I can’t help but feel a little hesitation that I don’t belong. As I transverse these hallways and walkways of the campus, my young peers avoid my gaze, a smile of hello is ignored, and a cutting sigh of irritation is heard when I move too slowly. Can you not smile at me in return, look and see me, not through me, and have some understanding that I am not going slowly as some conspiracy to hold you up? I am truly blessed to live in Canada where there are no restrictions on age when it comes to education. I would also like to say that I think it is wonderful that there are so many activities provided by our student union, and yet outdoor movie nights are not something
that I can do anymore. Pub nights, while interesting, aren’t something that I am interested in. Could our university offer indoor movie nights, possibly a family-friendly pool party utilizing the Canada Games pool, or even more cultural events? I am a mature student, someone who has been a part of society and realized that education is the key to success. I have persevered in my life despite disappointment, depression, and heartbreak. I once again issue TRU, as a whole, an invitation to see me, a mature student, as someone who walks with dignity and grace in a foreign environment alongside of you. “Do you see me now?” Angela Gilbert
TUNE IN/TUNE OUT Steve Leahy
CONTRIBUTOR Ω
Dude, where’s my culture? What am I supposed to relate too? Do any of you feel the same? Because I’ll be honest, I’m not really feeling any kind of cultural solidarity. It feels like we’re a bunch of individuals running to and fro with a few mutual interests. Where’s our identity? But we’re mostly students here; this is the time for us to be figuring that out. Did anyone actually feel a sense of ‘self ’ going through high school? I’m guessing not, since those times were so insular and exclusive for most people. You were defined by your friends and what you did together. And most people drift away from their high school friends. If you’re lucky you might have made one or two lifelong friends, but most of the others are now forgotten even though you sincerely promised to ‘never forget’ them. You liar, you. Except it’s really not that big a deal (initial guilt trip aside) since now you’ve got the opportunity to figure yourself out. And I mean getting to know what and how you think. You know, figuring out your identity. My identity was forged from not fitting into the traditional societal norms; I was different and that became my identity. Although that was just the start of the long and never ending journey to discover my ‘true self.’ And I feel for the people that do fit into societal norms; you’ve got a cookie-cutter identity. Harsh, I know, but that’s the way it is. Back to the top: where’s my culture? I got no idea since the only identity we have as a generation is the products we buy and brag about. You’ve got mac and pc users constantly bickering about the miniscule differences that no one indifferent to computers could possibly care about. Ditto iPhone versus android phones. Sure it might be really important to defend the clear superiority of your preferred device, but what kind of identity is that. ‘Oh, you hate Mac products too? We should totally be friends!’ I’m not sure about you guys, but I do not like the idea of buying my identity off a shelf. I am an individual person with tastes and preferences that are mine alone. Every once and a while I’ll meet someone who shares my tastes, and we get on great. But this is because most of my tastes would fall under the generic umbrella of ‘counter-culture’ and therefore the two of us can be hipsters together. Don’t judge, us rebels need to stick together. Here’s a thought for you, why not take a minute, sit down, and ask yourself “who am I?” Well, who are you? Do you have an answer to that one, or do you just define yourself by the people you hang around? Have you matured at all since you were sixteen? Really? Then riddle me this; where’s your culture, dude? leahys112@mytru.ca Stephen Leahy is a third year philosophy student who has been attending TRU since 2011. He has been living in Kamloops for 21 of his 23 years.
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ARTS
October 8, 2014
Healing, sisterhood and therapy through art
How Sisters Allied Against Violence is helping young women deal with violent histories Kim Anderson ARTS EDITOR Ω
“When you look at that painting, what do you see?” asked 16-year-old Melanie Mae, pointing to a colourful, abstract four painting arrangement hanging on the wall to my left. I was caught off guard completely as I sat, fumbling around with my voice recorder. Aside from a quick glance when I walked into the old Kamloops courthouse, I hadn’t really had time to examine all the artwork around me. I was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the exhibit with two of the five contributing artists, Jane, who asked to only be identified with her first name, and Melanie Mae. With us was art therapist and exhibit coordinator Wendy Gruneberg. “Well, first off, I see a strong theme of nature,” I replied before quickly trailing off, hoping no one would notice. There was clearly a dark undertone to the piece, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. In fact, the exhibit, running from Oct. 2 to Nov. 1, features an array of multimedia artwork containing sobering themes of pain, anger, isolation and most remarkably, hope. The exhibit was created and organized by the Sisters Allied Against Violence (SAAVI), an art therapy group for girls aged 13 to 17 who have witnessed or experienced violence. The goal is to draw attention to the serious issue of violence in the home and what the victims of that violence go through. “The name says it all,” Gruneberg said. “It’s a sisterhood of support. We put things on the table that society that normally flinches at.” Topics like violence and abuse are categorically ignored or overlooked by society. Jane and Melanie Mae even encountered resistance from a local business when trying to advertise the exhibit. Jane had always been inspired by and interested in art and took art classes on her own time. She then
found out about SAAVI, which is run by Children Who Witness Abuse and the YWCA through the women’s shelter. She teamed up with art therapist Jessica Ganton-Stanley and applied for a grant with intentions of holding an art show. They tackled the application over a couple weeks and it was approved about a year ago. During the course of the year, art therapist Jessica Fukushima also joined the team. The group of about six girls created their art during intense three-hour sessions held once per week. The relationships, trust and sisterhood that formed during this process is just as significant as the art produced. “We are dealing with stuff we’ve internalized or things that have been hurting us. We’ve got a support group that we can trust,” Melanie Mae said. “We’ve formed a really good bond and dynamic on our own.” SAAVI functions as a form of expression and therapy through art creation and relationship building. Group members have a unique insight and understanding of what one another are going through. “It’s terrifying to think that these things happen daily to people, not only in our community, but they could be your neighbor,” Melanie Mae said. “They could be sitting next to you and you wouldn’t even know. This is forcing people to see and feel and think [about] what’s actually going on.” Ultimately the self-learning, growth and sisterhood between the girls of SAAVI is the success story. “On a personal level, it’s nice for us to see such success come out of where we’ve been. Just two years ago I was living in the women’s shelter and now we have this art show,” Jane said. Using art as therapy has left a positive and lasting impact on the members and coordinators of SAAVI. “I can see a difference in myself and the girls around me. I’m happier. I’m noticing the brighter goodness around me. That’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever had,” Melanie Mae said.
LEFT: Sisters Allied Against Violence seeks to draw attention to the serious issue of violence in the home, and that’s reflected in the art exhibited. MIDDLE LEFT: Exhibited work by the artist identified as Jane. MIDDLE RIGHT: Exhibited work by the artist identified as Melanie Mae. BOTTOM: A selection of works by young women who have dealt with violent histories, presented at the exhibit organized by the Sisters Allied Against Violence. Photos by Kim Anderson/The Omega
Actors Workshop Theatre opens with “Patience” Oct. 9 Kim Anderson ARTS EDITOR Ω
“All the work never made me fall out of love with it – just made me fall even more in love,” said Kory Cudmore, a fourth-year TRU theatre student and lead in the upcoming Actor’s Workshop Theatre production. The TRU Actor’s Workshop Theatre (AWT) is celebrating its 30th season, opening with the production “Patience” on Oct. 9, written by Canadian playwright Jason Sherman and directed by Wesley Eccleston. “Patience” is the story of a man named Reuben, who has everything he needs and leads a perfect life. He meets an old friend and in the span of 24 hours it all falls apart. He loses his job and his wife leaves him. In the rest of the play he tries to find out where he went wrong and put his life back together.
The three lead roles are played by Kory Cudmore as Reuben, Daniel Ondang as Paul and Chanelle Renee as Sarah. Work started in April when they received the scripts and rehearsals began on Aug. 25. Audience members can look forward to an emotionally charged, dynamic play. “This play is very episodic. There are many flash-forwards, flash-backs and sidebars,” Renee said. She explained that the non-linear structure of “Patience” has been one of the greatest challenges to tackle. “There will be a scene where you’ve been emotionally destroyed. Then the next is a flashback to a party. You have to switch between those states in a matter of 15 seconds while changing costumes,” Cudmore said. The content of this production makes it a “harder drama” than what the AWT is used to doing,
said AWT publicist Taran Waterous. In celebration of its 30th season, AWT will be hosting an opening night gala held in the art gallery adjacent to the Black Box Theatre following the first show on Oct. 9. The gala is open to everyone and will feature a bar, free food and an award ceremony for outstanding theatre students. Looking ahead, Waterous outlined the upcoming AWT productions starting with Robin Nichol directing “The Best of Everything” at the end of November, Heidi Verwey directing Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” at the end of February, and finally, the fourth-year students directing their own show during the Directors Festival happening April 6 to 11. Renee, Ondang and Cudmore all attested to the psychological difficulty of performing in “Patience.” However, they also agreed that once the content was mastered, they felt liberated and free
to become that character within the confines of that story, in order to make a connection with the audience. “Having that emotional connec-
tion, having the wherewithal and bravery to put that out in front of a hundred people. You can’t fake that. It’s true. There is no lying to the audience,” Ondang said.
A preview of “Patience” written by Canadian playwright Jason Sherman and directed by Wesley Eccleston. (Emily-May Photography)
NEWS
The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 6
5
Culinary arts gets creative with food services
With Accolades on the ropes, a new retail student-run venture appears Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω
TRU’s culinary arts department is tightening its belt. Budgetary concerns, funding changes and a smaller faculty have the led the program to change what’s on offer to the public this year. One of the changes is that Accolades, TRU’s fine dining experience, has been scaled back. The restaurant, which once provided a four-course menu four days a week, will now be open only for prebooked events. At the same time, the department has branched out into the more retail-based Scratch Market. According to Rob Hood, interim dean of the adventure, culinary arts and tourism department, the changes were made to make the program more cost-effective and sustainable. “One of the issues over in culinary arts is they have a smaller number of
faculty that are delivering programming over there at the moment, and one of the issues has been some health issues with the faculty members over there, so their capacity to deliver programming, as well as service the community, has been diminished,” he said. The culinary arts program currently employs just four faculty members, compared to the seven employed in previous years. The award-winning dining room was initially scaled back last January due to budget concerns. At the time, TRU announced alternative options for the restaurant were being discussed with a new plan hopefully on the table by September 2014. Hood says that plan is still in the works, but has been delayed by the departure of the previous dean, Harold Richins. In the meantime, the culinary arts program is working with faculty in
event programming as well as resort and hotel management to organize several special events this semester. “Those events are going to be the combinations of education from events and hotel management students so they can get their practical experience along with their theory in that environment,” Hood said. Previously, students in the professional cook two program spent the last semester of their 44-week program in the Accolades dining room. While that opportunity is no longer available, culinary arts chair Ed Walker said that students are still getting the same level of instruction. “We’re delivering the same curriculum, doing the same food, but it’s being done in the daytime, not the nighttime,” he said. Second-year culinary arts student John Klassen is in his last semester of
the program, and while he said he is disappointed he won’t get the Accolades experience, he doesn’t feel his education is being negatively affected. “We opened other programs like the Scratch Market, and I feel that that’s going to bloom … I feel that’s just as good as having Accolades,” Klassen said. The newly opened Scratch Market shares space with the meat shop on the side of the culinary arts building. The menu includes to-go entrees, soups, sandwiches and baked goods made “from scratch” by culinary arts students. “We saw an opportunity,” Walker said of the market. “The retail meat store has been running in that space for years, but only one day a week, so the space is there and we thought that’s a good outlet for our students to put food out.” The market had its grand opening
Sept. 30. It will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. While Hood said preparing food for the Scratch Market is not meant to replace Accolades, he added the new market might generate more income and provide better service to the general university population than a highend restaurant. He also pointed out the Scratch Market is less labour intensive, making it a more manageable project for fewer faculty to oversee. Hood added that, while Accolades provided real world restaurant experience, it is not an educational requirement for students in the culinary arts program. “That’s been part of the TRU education opportunity,” Hood said. “But it’s not something that’s demanded for the kind of training to get their credentials.”
Land donation creates research opportunities Alexis Stockford NEWS EDITOR Ω
Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Park, near the recently donated land. (Frank Kovalchek/Flickr Commons)
TRU is adding a “living laboratory” to its research and teaching facilities thanks to a recent land donation. Roland and Anne Neave donated 160 acres of undeveloped land, located about two hours north of Kamloops near Wells Gray Park. The site was officially dedicated on Sept. 29. The newly minted Neave Family Wetlands are about 10 minutes from the TRU Wilderness Centre and TRU Research and Education Centre. The university operates 15 acres for studies in geography, biology, natural resource science and fine arts, as well as retreats for groups like the volleyball team. TRU dean of science Tom Dickinson said the donated land provides a unique opportunity for research
since it is both undisturbed by humans and fed from a contained watershed. “When they drew the park, they drew the tops of the mountains and connected all the tops of the mountains,” Dickinson said. “So it becomes a single watershed that is entirely protected, and you don’t find that anywhere else in the world.” David Hill is an associate professor and researcher at TRU dealing with hydrology (the study of water, its movement and management). He said he is excited about the wetlands’ potential and is discussing research opportunities with the faculty of science. “It’s really, really important when doing moderate-skill hydrology to be able to close your boundaries so that you can get an idea of how much is infiltrating into the soil, how much
is being captured by the plants, how much is put back into the atmosphere, etc.,” he said. “So this large tract of land is immensely useful for those kinds of studies and couldn’t be done without it.” The university is also considering research on climate change, ecological studies like the migration of songbirds, and historical research into the area’s volcanic origins. “This is a scenario of pristine habitat that we already know we can start research on,” said Louis Gosselin, TRU biological sciences professor. “We can do twenty years of research and we know it’s not going to be cut down.” Tourism programs are also interested in the site. According to Roland Neave, his family has owned the land since 1994 but rarely used it, since they
owned property in Wells Gray Park itself. About two years ago, Neave approached Dickinson about the idea of donating the property to be used for research. “He [Dickinson] came and took a look at the property and was really impressed with what he saw as far as the number of animal and bird species and just the ecological biodiversity of the property,” Neave said. “So he became the first cheerleader on it.” “It took two years from that point for Tom to convince others that this was a good idea,” Neave added. Dickinson said he hopes to put in a boardwalk and observation towers to minimize human impact. “Even though it would disturb [the land] a little bit, it would protect the majority of the ecology of the area,” he said.
Discovery Grant windfall means record year for TRU, benefits for student researchers Kasahra Atkins
CONTRIBUTOR Ω TRU is getting $540,000 in research grants to fund student and faculty programs over the next five years. TRU professors Richard Brewster, Louis Gosselin, David Hill, Johnathan Van Hamme and Roger Yu, were awarded Discovery Grants this year, the most TRU
has ever received. Their research includes topics in mathematics and statistics, geography and biological science. Will Garrett-Petts, associate VP of research and graduate studies, said the news is the most recent example of high quality research at TRU. “The success of the most recent NSERC Discovery Grant competition speaks to our growing
research culture at TRU and the investments that have been made to support the culture,” he said. Each Discovery Grant is on a five-year term and will be used to fund specific projects proposed by the researchers during the competition. According to grant guidelines, proposals are judged on both creativity and practical use. TRU students will also see some of that money. On average, 30 per
cent of external grants received by the university goes to support student research training and research assistants. TRU students can expect to see about $160,000 of this year’s Discovery Grant windfall over the next five years. “The external grants also provide wonderful opportunities for our students to become engaged in the research process,” Garrett-Petts said.
The importance of research and improvement has been a growing ambition for TRU since the university received its official research mandate in 2005. In 2011, TRU joined the Research University Council of British Columbia with the goal to “make the world a better place by generating a new knowledge and understanding in our students,” according to Garrett-Petts.
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COMICS & PUZZLES
October 8, 2014
Puzzle of the Week #5 – Marbles You have a collection of marbles. Each marble is of one colour: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or violet. 1. The number of yellow marbles plus the number of blue marbles equals the number of green marbles. 2. There are at least two and at most nine marbles of each colour. 3. The number of red marbles plus the number of blue marbles equals the number of yellow marbles. 4. The number of yellow marbles is odd. 5. The number of orange marbles plus the number of yellow marbles equals the number of violet marbles. 6. The number of red marbles and the number of blue marbles are not equal. 7. There are either three colours with the same number of marbles, or there are two pairs of numbers of marbles. 8. There is an odd number of marbles for three of the colours, and an even number of marbles for three of the colours. How many marbles of each colour do you have? This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize. Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>. Submissions by others are also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my blog (http://genew.ca/) and in the Math Centre (HL304). Come visit: we are friendly.
SUDOKU
Because you’re probably not doing enough math
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Contributions
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Have something to contribute? We’re always looking for comics, jokes, or anything entertaining you can think of. If you’ve got something in mind, fire off an email to editor@truomega.ca.
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SPORTS
The Omega Ω Volume 24 • Issue 6
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New coach, new approach
Positive atmosphere already helping women’s volleyball team Tayla Scott
SPORTS EDITOR Ω
The WolfPack women’s volleyball team has been without a win for the past two seasons, but things are starting to look a bit brighter for the team, with a new coach, a new atmosphere and more confidence. The women will have six exhibition wins under their belt going into the new season, which begins Oct. 10. One of the exhibition wins was against the UBCO Heat, which made the Canada West final four last year. “It was nice to get a nice performance against a strong team in our league. It always helps the girls as far as confidence and believing that we’re doing the right thing,” Grimm said. This is Grimm’s first year as head coach of the women’s team and his
first year as a CIS head coach. “When Ken asked if I wanted to take over for the women, it was a great opportunity that I basically just couldn’t say no to,” Grimm said. Grimm has chalked up the exhibition wins to new team members and a more positive atmosphere. “I think sometimes change is a good thing. I think a little bit of freedom, a little bit of ability for them to make some of their own choices and some of their own athletic decisions on the court will help them to relax a little bit and maybe play a little bit looser and in turn maybe a little bit better,” Grimm said. Katie Woo is in her third year with the ‘Pack as a setter. “It feels amazing. It’s actually a completely different feeling amongst the girls,” Woo said. “In moments sometimes we see some of our old tendencies, but we’re
Katie Woo, a third year student and setter for the team, says there’s a completely different atmosphere this year. (TRU Athletics)
definitely moving in the right direction.” “Chad focuses on the process rather than the outcome. So rather than setting a goal like ‘Oh we’ve got to win this game,’ he’s really focused on each point at a time,” Woo said Grimm has a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in human kinetics and education, all of which add to his coaching strategy. “I was aware of, not only the physical aspects, but kind of the change in culture and mentality that would need to occur in order for the program to move forward,” Grimm said. “I think bringing a little bit of a different style, being a little more positive, and challenging the girls to push each other and give them more ownership over the program helps them buy in a little bit more,” Grimm said. “Then adding a couple of new faces also helps with confidence, when you start adding more players that are going to be positive for the team.” The team has eight new players, one whom has returned after a two year absence. “We’re not looking at outcome in numbers so much as asking ourselves: are we doing what we need to do every day to get better, and if we do that, I think at some point the results will take care of themselves,” Grimm said. The WolfPack will play their season opener in Langley on Oct. 10 against the Trinity Western University Spartans, with their home opener at the Tournament Capital Centre on Oct. 24 against the UBC Thunderbirds.
The BCLIP is an educational six-month opportunity for Canadian university graduates to work in British Columbia’s parliamentary system. Your academic training will be enhanced by exposure to public policy-making and the legislative process by working in the executive and legislative branches of the provincial government at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria. B.C. residents are eligible to apply if they have received their first Bachelor’s Degree from a Canadian university within two years of the start date of the 2016 program. Apply online at
2016 PROGRAM DIRECTOR Karen L. Aitken Legislative Assembly of B.C. BCLIP@leg.bc.ca ACADEMIC DIRECTOR Dr. Patrick J. Smith Simon Fraser University psmith@sfu.ca
www.leg.bc.ca/bclip Deadline
January 31, 2015 Location: Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. Term: January 4 to June 24, 2016 Remuneration: $26,120 for six months
Red Army players Sam Nigg, Daniel Higgs and Anthony DeLong play against the Panthers on Sept. 30. (Tayla Scott/The Omega)
Red Army hockey recruits former WolfPack players Tayla Scott
SPORTS EDITOR Ω
WolfPack hockey players, unable to play hockey at TRU, have formed a beer league team. The team, called the Red Army, has 18 players, 11 of which used to play with the WolfPack or were newly recruited players who intended to play at TRU. The announcement that the WolfPack hockey team would not run for the 2014-15 season due to a funding shortfall came abruptly in July. This announcement left players in a tough spot, unable to play hockey and almost no time to transfer schools. With no other options, Cameron Weir and Alex Martin, now ex-WolfPack players, wrote up a roster and contacted the Molson IceBox Hockey League. “It really was easy to get everyone back. Everyone wanted to play hockey, everyone came here to play hockey, so it was pretty easy to convince them to come play and pay a fraction of what we’ve had to pay for college hockey,” Weir said. The Red Army paid a team fee of $7,550 to compete in the league. If WolfPack hockey had gone forward, players would have been paying $2,400 each to play. The Red Army, clad in jerseys provided by a local sponsor, played their first game on Sept. 30 against The Panthers in the Ice Box Arena. The Red Army took the game by a score of 7-2. WolfPack refugees were happy to be back on the ice, but the sting of losing their spots on the university team is still with them. “I thought that it was pretty unfair to pretty much the whole team. I mean, they were all gearing up and training hard for a new season and all of the sudden, a month before school starts, basically it’s all ‘hey you don’t have a team anymore,’” said Ben Bula, who played two years of defence with the WolfPack, and is now with the Red Army. “There were five or six of them, maybe a bit more, that actually came to TRU to play hockey. So now they’re just going to school and their hockey career could po-
tentially be over, which is brutal,” Bula added. Desmond Bast also made the switch. He was one of the players that came to TRU just to play on the WolfPack. Bast found out on July 17 that he’d play for the ‘Pack. Twelve days later, hockey operations shut down. “I had already arranged housing and schooling and everything. I just was at work and I got the text that there wasn’t going to be a team anymore and I decided education was kind of important to me,” Bast said. “It’s a little frustrating coming here for hockey. I’m busy with school at least,” Bast said. To solve the funding issue, the board of directors had originally considered increasing the hockey fees from $1,500 to $2,400 for players, rather than shutting down. “I would have paid for it. I would have taken a loan out from my parents and taken care of it I guess. I wanted to play hockey this year for sure,” Bast said. Weir, who played defence with the WolfPack, helped put the team together. “We wanted to get the boys back together. That’s why we came to TRU to play hockey, the camaraderie just as much as the hockey itself. I originally came here for the hockey program. I had a few schools to look at for hockey and that’s why I ended up here. “You work so hard every day of your life in the gym, on the ice, you get to the point where you are and just to have it taken away by a text message,” Weir said. Weir said he also would have paid the fee increase. “Sure it’s a struggle financially to make that happen, but 100 per cent worth it.” “The timing of the whole thing, the time of pulling the plug, it was just too late. I had a few other options, but I had a house, I had everything planned already to go here.” Out of the whole team, Weir said only one player made it to another school to play hockey this season. “We had one guy who went somewhere else. Just one of the whole entire team who is still playing hockey,” Weir said.
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September 3, 2014